Shri Jayadvaja Teertharu

Tenure : 1380 – 1400
Ārādhana : Kārtika pūrṇimā
Location : Yeragol̤a

Charama Shloka :

रमारमणपादाब्जयुगलासक्तमानसः |

जयध्वजमुनींद्रोऽसौ गुरुर्भूयादभीष्टदः ||

ರಮಾರಮಣಪಾದಾಬ್ಜಯುಗಲಾಸಕ್ತಮಾನಸಃ |

ಜಯಧ್ವಜಮುನೀಂದ್ರೋಽಸೌ ಗುರುರ್ಭೂಯಾದಭೀಷ್ಟದಃ ||

ramāramaṇapādābjayugalāsaktamānasaḥ |

jayadhvajamunīndro’sau gururbhūyādabhīṣṭadaḥ ||

About Śrī Jayadhvaja Tīrtha

Śrī Jayadhvaja Tīrtha was ordained the 9th Pītadhipati by Śrī Rājendra Tīrtha. Śrī Jayadhvajaru is the next in succession after Śrī Rājendrararu on this holy pontificate. It is indeed a very appropriate appellation to this saint as he happens to be the flagstaff of the Pūrvādi Maṭha past the phenomenal victories achieved by his guru in the eastern part of this holy country. It is known from traditional records that the Saint furthered his predecessor’s activities toward the northern parts of the country as well (except for a few occasions to the southern part, undertaken at the request of devotees here.)

His exemplary achievements have indeed been recorded in texts composed during his time in those regions such as Bhakti Ratnāval̤i under the name of Jayadharma i.e., Vidyānidhisca Rājendra: Jayadharma Munisthathā. Śrī Viṣṇu Puri, author of Bhakti Ratnāval̤i, seems to have had a polemical debate with the Saint at Puri Jagannathā Kṣetra, and accepted Vaiṣṇava Dīkśā at gis hands. Śrī Vanamāli Miśra of Madhvamukhālaṅkāraḥ fame seems to have come in the same lineage as well. The services of Jayadhvaja Tīrtharu and Rājendra Tīrtharu on firm establishment of the Vaiṣṇava order are well-recognized in contemporary bhakti literature that sprouted in this part of the country.

The saint chose one of his prominent disciples from the same lineage Ṣāṣtīka Vaṁśa as his successor and named him as Śrī Puruśottama Tīrtha, to perhaps provide a historical reminder to the community that the ordination happened at Puri which has been reverentially referred to as Puruśottama Kṣetra in scriptural literature. Past coronation, the saint instructed the new incumbent to move to the southern part of the country along with the retinue to continue missionary activities, which incidentally would turn-out to be the root-cause for establishment of the last-recognized Hindu empire in Indian History. He seems to have retired to Yaragol̤a -the place of destination of his Gurus’ and given-up his mortal remains there, as recorded in the historical records of the Maṭha.

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